Foxtel has announced two new channels, changes to its electronic programming guide and the return of hit series such as Game of Thrones as it makes its pitch to advertisers for 2014.

The subscription television giant also revealed its much-anticipated iQ3 box will use wi-fi technology offering “significantly more opportunities for internet delivery".

The company, which is owned by
Telstra
and Rupert Murdoch’s
News Corporation
, is under pressure to keep growing its penetration of Australian homes, which News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson has admitted has been stuck at a “stubborn" 30 per cent.

Speaking at the company’s “upfronts" event in Sydney, chief executive
Richard Freudenstein
said the improved programming guide would let viewers browse back in time by up to 26 hours on selected channels to watch shows that have already broadcast – via the internet.

He also announced two new channels – TV Hits and Syfy – to launch in early 2014. TV Hits will feature series such as NCIS, the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends and How I Met Your Mother.